Trapped *** (1949, Lloyd Bridges, Barbara Payton, John Hoyt) – Classic Movie Review 10,070

Richard Fleischer’s gritty, pacy 1949 film noir crime thriller Trapped stars Lloyd Bridges as a criminal sprung from prison by the FBI to bust a counterfeit gang.

Director Richard Fleischer’s gritty, pacy, atmospheric minor 1949 black and white film noir crime thriller Trapped stars the then upcoming busy young star Lloyd Bridges as Tris Stewart, a counterfeiting criminal sprung from prison by the FBI to bust a counterfeit gang and recover counterfeit moneymaking plates. He is planning to double cross them.

Bridges is a strong, athletic presence, holding the screen well, and the film is propelled with tense, realistic handling from Fleischer, in the then popular semi-documentary style. It may be just a poverty row, low-budget, double feature B movie, but it is a good one.

The topic at hand is deception and double cross – a double deception as there is a sting by the US Treasury Department to track down counterfeit moneymaking plates, and then a double cross. The blue-eyed, peroxide blonde sexpot Barbara Payton enjoys a strong role as brassy Meg Dixon.

Also in the cast are John Hoyt, James Todd, Russ Conway, Robert Karnes, Bert Conway, Tom Noone, Stephen Chase and Harry Antrim.

Trapped is directed by Richard Flesicher, runs 78 minutes, is made by Bryan Foy Productions (as Contemporary Productions), is released by Eagle-Lion Films (1949) (US) and General Film Distributors (1949) (UK), is written by Earl Felton (story and screenplay) and George Zuckerman (story and screenplay), is shot in black and white by Guy Roe, is produced by Bryan Foy and scored by Sol Kaplan, with Art Direction by Frank Durlauf.

Release date: October 1, 1949 (US).

Barbara Payton and Lloyd Bridges in Trapped.

Gratitude and thanks are given to the Secretary of the US Department of the Treasury for his help and cooperation in the making of the picture. It begins with a voice over footage of the Treasury Department stating what the department does.

A Blu-ray and DVD of the film restored by the Film Noir Foundation and  the UCLA Film and Television Archives was released in December 2019.

The film is in the public domain and can be downloaded free.

The cast are Lloyd Bridges as Tris Stewart, Barbara Payton as Meg Dixon alias Laurie Fredericks, John Hoyt as Agent John Downey alias Johnny Hackett, James Todd as Jack Sylvester, Russ Conway as Chief Agent Gunby, Robert Karnes as Agent Fred Foreman, Douglas Spencer as Sam Hooker, Lyle Latell as Agent Curry Bert Conway, Tom Noone, Stephen Chase and Harry Antrim.

© Derek Winnert 2020 Classic Movie Review 10,070

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Barbara Payton (1927–1967).